Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, also called Chronic Myelogenous LeukemiaA chronic disease of the blood and bone marrow that results from a transformation of a stem cell.

The Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation is a patient-led non-profit foundation in Switzerland. Its mission is to improve the lives & survival of patients affected by Leukemia. It is a platform for discussions & best practice sharing to Leukemia patient groups worldwide. The foundation collaborates with all stakeholders involved in research, policy, treatment and care. It also acts as a platform for patient organisations – concentrating on educating, connecting and supporting patient group leaders.

CML Advocates Network

Hosted by the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation, the global "CML Advocates Network" (http://cmladvocates.net) connects 115 patient organisations in 86 countries on all continents. The CML Advocates Network is a worldwide network designed and run by CML patients and carers who are registered patient group advocates and organisers.

The Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation hosts the "CML Horizons" conference as the annual global leadership meeting that welcomes patient leaders from all world regions (http://www.cmladvocates.net/cmlhorizons). An elected "CML Horizons Steering Committee", as a steering committee (as defined in the foundation's statutes) within the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation, carries all responsibility to run the "CML Horizons" conferences. Following elections by the worldwide CML community in May 2017, the CML Horizons Steering Committee consists of the following nine members of which six are CML patients themselves, and which represent all major regions of the world:

MPN Advocates Network

Hosted by the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation, the global "MPN Advocates Network" (http://www.mpn-advocates.net) was founded by representatives from the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The MPN Advocates Network's immediate goal is to increase the international scope of the organisation by contacting MPN patient groups in other countries and inviting them to become part of the network. The initial focus will be groups in Europe, but the intention is to be a world-wide organisation.

The MPN Advocates Network hosts the "MPN Horizons", the international conference for MPN patient advocacy leaders, works on educating patient advocates, building patient groups’ capacity, implementing advocacy initiatives with a real impact in the countries and finally enforcing cooperation in the global “MPN Advocates Network”.

A Steering Committee within the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation carries all responsibility to run the MPN Advocates Network. The members of the Steering Committee are:

Jonathan Mathias, Chair (UK)

Cheryl Petruk (Canada)

Felice Bombaci (Italy)

Giora Sharf (Israel)

Ilse Jans (Belgium)

Peter Loffeelhardt (Spain)

Robi Zelig (Israel)

Werner Zinkand (Germany)

William Crowley (U.S.A)

Giora Sharf (Israel), as a trustee of the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation, supervises the finances of the MPN Advocates Network and its compliance with Swiss Regulatory requirements regarding the non-profit status.

CLL Advocates Network

Hosted by the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation, the establishment of the CLLAdvocates Network (CLLAN) (http://www.clladvocates.net) and commencement of the new network’s activities aims to ensure the successes seen in CML are replicated for CLLand common goals are shared. The CLLAdvocates Network (CLLAN) was founded by representatives from Canada, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Portugal, UK and the United States. The CLLAdvocates Network Steering Committee consists of the following 8 members, of which 3 are CLLpatients and one a carer. The other members are CLLpatient advocates:

The CLLAdvocates Network hosts the "CLLHorizons", a unique opportunity for CLLpatient organization representatives to meet and network, giving them the opportunity to discuss issues facing CLLpatients and hopefully start to think about what they could do better to help CLLpatients in their communities.

Acute Leukemia Advocates Network (ALAN)

The ALAN is an independent global network of patient organisations representatives and patient organisations, dedicated to

changing outcomes of patients with acute leukemias by strengthening patient advocacy in that area by developing patient information and specific support for patients with acute leukemias and their carers in all countries;

strengthening patient organisations by sharing best practices and providing toolkits in patient advocacy;

creating awareness about acute leukemias and how to better support leukemia patients; advocating for better treatment, care & access to healthcare services;

improving education for healthcare professionals serving leukemia patients as well as collaborating with other initiatives and stakeholders with similar goals.

Similar to the CML Advocates Network, MPN Advocates Network and CLLAdvocates Network within the LePAF, the ALAN is not a network mainly targeting (english-language) patients and carers directly, but acts as a “network of organisations”. It aims to build capacity in the members of the network to deliver tailored services to acute leukemia patients and carers on the national level, while joining forces between organisations on the policy and research level across countries.

The first ALAN Steering Committee consists of the following patient advocates:

Zack Pemberton-Whiteley, Chair (UK)

Sofia Sa Cardoso,Treasurer (Portugal)

Anita Waldmann (Germany)

Sophie Wintrich (UK)

Diego Villalón (Spain)

Jan Geissler (Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation representative)

Board of the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation

The foundation's statutes mandate the foundation board only with supervisory and financial management roles, while its statutory committees, as listed above, are fully self-governed, autonomous initiatives. Projects are run by the committees, not by the foundation board. Formally, the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation is represented by the following trustees of the Foundation:

Management Team of the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation

Lidija Pecova - Programme Manager ()

Celia Marín - Programme Manager ()

Registered Address & Contact Details

We are purely patient-run, non-profit and public interest, and we have no legal department. Talking to each other first is always the best solution. If you see a challenge for whatever reason, please contact us directly - we are very confident any issue can be solved.